The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 governorship election in Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, was arraigned in court on Monday (today) over alleged vote-buying.
OsunDailyNG understands that the politician was arraigned before the Ogun State High Court today in absentia by the Federal Government.
Adebutu and nine others were brought before the court on charges of vote buying.
This news platform understands that the All Progressives Congress (APC), through Yemi Sanusi, had filed a petition with the Inspector General of Police, involving the State Criminal Investigations Department Eleweran, Abeokuta, to investigate the PDP candidate regarding the allegation of vote-buying during the gubernatorial election.
After the investigation was concluded, the Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, filed criminal charges against Adebutu and his co-defendants at the High Court.
OsunDailyNG understands that the case was scheduled to be heard before Hon. Justice Abiodun Akinyemi in court 4 but was subsequently adjourned until today, July 10, 2023, due to the court’s process servers being unable to serve Adebutu and the other defendants with the information sheet.
At the time the matter was called on Monday, the PDP governorship candidate was missing while the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 10th Defendants – Ogunbona Hammed, Tiamiyi Waleed, Egunsola Owolabi, Sanni Adejoke, and Malik respectively – were present.
They pleaded not guilty to all four counts, and their counsel, Muyiwa Obanewa, requested bail for the defendants.
The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, stated that Ladi Adebutu was still on the run but did not oppose the granting of bail to the other defendants.
Ruling on the case, Justice Akinyemi granted bail to the accused in the sum of N100,000 each, with one surety each who must be either bondsmen or relatives of the defendants, providing evidence of payment of tax.
The court subsequently adjourned the case until September 26, 2023, for a definite hearing.
The charge sheet of the case, with no AB/10C/2003, filed at the high court and dated June 2, 2023, listed the four charges, including criminal conspiracy, bribery, and undue influence, all in violation of the Electoral Act, 2022, OsunDailyNG reports.
According to the particulars of the offence, Adebutu and the co-accused conspired to corruptly give gifts in the form of prepaid Verve cards inscribed with “Dame Caroline Oladuni Adebutu Memorial Endorsement Scheme for Less Privileged” to induce voters to support PDP candidates during the gubernatorial and State Assembly elections in Ogun State.
Adebutu was further accused of providing 200,000 prepaid Verve cards loaded with N10,000 each, inscribed with the same name, to corruptly influence voters to vote for PDP candidates during the said elections.
